


The One From Gunther's Perspective

by cbelz_1



Category: Friends (TV), adoption - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cbelz_1/pseuds/cbelz_1





	The One From Gunther's Perspective

“They are literally always here”, thought Gunther as he restocked the muffins and bagels at Central Perk. “Don’t they have jobs?” he mused as he went about his tasks. He wondered about this at least twice a day. He could never quite decide if he was jealous of all of their free time or felt bad that they had nothing better to do than sit around and drink coffee all day. And he couldn’t believe that Ross always picked up the check without blinking an eye. “He’s not actually a doctor, he’s a paleontologist” thought Gunther every time Ross got out his credit card and picked up the tab. He thought Ross was doing this to stay in the group. Unfortunately, he didn’t offer much else. He figured none of the others could afford overpriced coffee at least twice a day anyway. Gunther started daydreaming and wondering what he would offer to the group.  
It seemed like they were always talking about something superficial. Gossip, party planning. “Don’t they have anything else to think about?”, he always wondered. Who cares what show Joey is auditioning for? Gunther, on the other hand, was always distracted. He dreamed of being fulfilled. He wished he could know who he truly was and where he truly belonged. He spent almost every waking moment analyzing who he was and what it meant for his future. He could tell that the group took him for an airhead. “They have know idea”, he almost chuckled.  
“Guuuuunther, can I get another latte?” Rachel squealed as she waved her cup around in the air. Gunther realized she had been drinking during the day again. After leaving her fiance and getting cut off by her parents, Rachel typically showed up before the rest of the group. He couldn’t tell if she secretly enjoyed his company, or if she just had nothing else to do. Sometimes Gunther could smell the alcohol on her breath from far away. Before noon. He didn’t care though. He would entertain Rachel all day. “Maybe if she gets buzzed, I can talk to her”, he thought. “Maybe I can get inside of the group....maybe I can get some answers”.  
Everyone assumed Gunther was in love with Rachel. While this annoyed him, he had to admit it wasn’t totally a lie. “I guess I have become somewhat obsessed with her”, Gunther thought as he rushed over to get her a refill. He snuck a little bit of whisky into her latte. ‘What the hell, she’s already been drinking”, he thought. Gunther needed a way to get closer to Rachel. All he wanted to do was talk to Rachel. Alone. Even though she probably didn’t know about him, he longed to know if they knew about him. Rachel is Monica’s best friend. Ross is in love with Rachel. It was his best chance of getting to know more about the Gellers. Fine, Rachel wasn’t hard on the eyes. But it’s not always all about Rachel. Why does everyone always think it’s all about Rachel???? He wasn’t living in this overpriced, crowded, smelly, disgusting city for no reason.

He was living here for a reason. 

He spent the last 15 years of his life trying to find them. He’s been serving coffee for years to find out who he really is. 

Did anyone think his hair was really naturally this heinous blonde color?

But now that he found them, why did he feel incapable of speaking up?

Gunther had once been a successful accountant in a small town in Michigan. He had a pretty decent upbringing. His dad was also an accountant and his mom was a teacher. His mom was originally from Amsterdam, so Gunther knew a good amount of Dutch. He was an interesting man. He wasn’t necessarily unhappy. He couldn’t explain it, but he always felt like he was missing something. This is what brought him to New York City. They brought him to New York City. She brought him to New York City.  
Day in and day out, Gunther eavesdropped on the group of friends. He always had one ear listening, just in case. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was listening for, but any clue to support his investigation would be helpful. He actually enjoyed Phoebe’s company, but she seemed pretty useless to him, in terms of his search. Joey was no help; he probably wouldn’t even understand. Chandler wasn’t either; he had an unconventional upbringing, too. So it had to be Rachel. That was his way in. Or would he ever just grow the balls to confront them and tell them who he really is?  
Some days he couldn’t believe what he was doing. A grown man with a master’s degree in Accounting and a CPA, restocking croissants and pouring overpriced, underwhelming coffee. How did he get here? Other days, he was focused on his purpose. He hadn’t spent years here, doing this job, stalking these people, for no reason.  
About 5 years ago, he found someone in the newspaper who helped adoptees find their birth mothers. He had considered hiring a lawyer, but this nice old lady worked for free. She was a birth mother who put her daughter up for adoption and did not find her until her daughter was in her 40’s. She wanted to reunite adoptees with their birth parents. Legislation was difficult. Gunther had been adopted through a Catholic agency, and the organization was not willing to give him any information. How could that be fair? He just wanted to know his truth.  
Well, he knew the truth. Most of the truth. Part of the truth. DNA doesn’t lie. He moved to New York City before he was certain, though. He just had a gut feeling. He couldn’t even tell his parents where he was working because he was so ashamed. They wouldn’t understand. But in his heart, he had no choice. So for the first 3 years or so, he was still searching. At first, he was just a fly on the wall. He would listen to the group, feeling sorry for them. He had no way to connect with Judy, so he found solace by observing her other children. The children that she did not give up. He found them boring after a while and missed his own life. But he wasn’t leaving until he confronted his birth mother, and he wasn’t ready to face his reality yet.  
The truth is, Gunther was a direct DNA match to Judy Geller. It was not until Gunther was 18 that he learned he was adopted. His parents were amazing and he loved them dearly. They provided him with a stable, steady life. However, he needed to know where he came from. Who he was. Why he wasn’t wanted. Was there another man in Judy’s life before Jack? The DNA did not directly correlate with Jack Geller. This is how his obsession with Ross and Monica began. And in turn, with Rachel, too. Rachel was Monica’s best friend. Ross was in love with Rachel.  
Gunther knew he was just 1 year older than Ross, 3 years older than Monica. It was not such an extreme age gap. What could have possibly been so wrong with him that Judy Geller didn’t want him? At this point, even though he was never part of the inner circle of the group at Central Perk, he felt like he knew them like siblings. That’s why when he heard them talking about holiday plans, he knew he had to score the invite for Thanksgiving. Monica was cooking, of course, and the Geller parents would be in attendance.  
Rachel stumbled in drunk again, midday, two weeks before Thanksgiving. “This is it”, Gunther thought. He inquired about the group’s Thanksgiving plans. Before he knew it, Rachel drunkenly invited him for the holiday dinner and told him to bring an appetizer. It was the only thing Monica relinquished control of, apparently. Rachel assured Gunther that the Geller parents would be there, bringing the holiday bonus checks they always brought for Ross and Monica at Thanksgiving. “Go figure”, Gunther thought. He could also use a holiday bonus check.  
Gunther didn’t eat or sleep for the nights leading up to Thanksgiving. He actually called out of work, too. Did anyone notice he was gone? He brainstormed about how this would work. He had to get Judy alone. How could he do that? How could he admit to his birth mother that he had been stalking her other children for years in order to make a connection with her? It seemed so much weirder than it felt. He suddenly felt like a psychopath. He had been obsessed with her other children for years, unsure what he would actually do or say when given the chance to confront his birth mother. Well, the time has come.  
He arrived at Monica’s apartment early. Nervously pacing around the place, he was jittery and uneasy. The phone rang. Monica answered. She sounded disappointed. After hanging up, she came back to the group and informed them that her parents couldn’t make it tonight. They are in a fight about something from the past. Something big. Monica and Ross assumed their father had done something stupid, like usual. Had he had an affair? Was he in financial trouble? Their poor mother. Monica and Ross decided to pack up and go see their mother. The others comforted them and offered kind words. Gunther wondered, “what the hell am I doing here?”...


End file.
